Brave Barbara tap dances back to West End
CON-ARTISTS have tricked an 88-year-old dementia sufferer into blowing her £10,000 life savings on “miracle health cures”.
Barbara Evitts was left with just £30 in her account when her dismayed son Paul realised she had fallen foul of the ruthless scam operated from abroad.
He found 400 boxes of medication and health remedies at her home in Barnsley, with the price still on the packaging for basic food products shipped from Africa and America.
South Yorkshire Police expert on financial crime Andy Foster called the case “the worst scam I have seen”.
Widow Mrs Evitts was targeted over eight years by the fraudsters who persuaded her to shell out huge sums for products normally costing only a few pounds, such as pomegranate, celery and turmeric extracts for which she was charged £385 and Omega Three oil, sold to her for £135.
They even persuaded her to visit her local post office to make immediate payments.
Four individual parcels were marked at £1,000 each.
Son Paul, 59, became worried when his mother would not let him into her bedrooms, where she stored the deliveries.
His suspicions were confirmed when she was moved DAME Barbara Windsor’s husband was overjoyed to see her back on stage – and even tap dancing.
Scott Mitchell, who this year revealed that former EastEnders star Babs, 81, is battling dementia, took her to see a West End show.
They were joined by friends Adam Woodyatt, who plays Ian Beale in the soap, and his wife Bev to watch 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal. They were there to cheer on fellow EastEnder Bonnie Langford who was starring.
During the interval, Babs sneaked into the Royal Box and got a standing ovation from the audience – before a private tour of the theatre where she danced on stage.
Scott, 55, said: “It was a wonderful day. The public are the warmest people in the world to Barbara. She into a care home last month. He found boxes piled high upstairs at her house containing hundreds of packets of tablets.
Paul said: “Mum has lost thousands of pounds.
“I would estimate it at over £10,000, some of the boxes are listed at nearly £500.
“Some of the boxes are gourmet food, others are full of medication.
“I first spotted a box five or six years ago and said ‘Mum, you are being scammed’ but I didn’t realise the full extent of it did an impromptu dance routine on the stage after the show finished. The old Babs emerged for a while. It’s wonderful to see those moments for me.”
Adam added: “After the show she was tap dancing on the stage. A day I will always remember.”
Dame Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014.
Scott is running the Virgin Money London Marathon for charity Dementia Revolution next April.
He said: “Despite the changes in Barbara, there is still so much of her there. Her humour and wit.”
He urged any runner unsure who to raise cash for to “join the Dementia Revolution team to show all our loved ones with dementia, like Barbara, they are not alone”.
sponsor Scott go to https://tinyurl.com/y75sesfq